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Thursday, April 30, 2009

STRAY dogs are commuting to and from a city centre on underground trains in search of food scraps.

(from the Sun Newspaper)

The clever canines board the Tube each morning. After a hard day scavenging and begging on the streets, they hop back on the train and return to the suburbs where they spend the night.

Experts studying the dogs say they even work together to make sure they get off at the right stop — after learning to judge the length of time they need to spend on the train.The mutts choose the quietest carriages at the front and back of the train. They have also developed tactics to hustle humans into giving them more food on the streets of Moscow.

Scientists believe the phenomenon began after the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s, and Russia’s new capitalists moved industrial complexes from the city centre to the suburbs.

Dr Andrei Poiarkov, of the Moscow Ecology and Evolution Institute, said: “These complexes were used by homeless dogs as shelters, so the dogs had to move together with their houses. Because the best scavenging for food is in the city centre, the dogs had to learn how to travel on the subway — to get to the centre in the morning, then back home in the evening, just like people.”

Dr Poiarkov told how the dogs like to play during their daily commute. He said: “They jump on the train seconds before the doors shut, risking their tails getting jammed. They do it for fun. And sometimes they fall asleep and get off at the wrong stop.”

The dogs have learned to use traffic lights to cross the road safely, said Dr Poiarkov. And they use cunning tactics to obtain tasty morsels of shawarma, a kebab-like snack popular in Moscow. They sneak up behind people eating shawarmas — then bark loudly to shock them into dropping their food.

With children the dogs “play cute” by putting their heads on youngsters’ knees and staring pleadingly into their eyes to win sympathy — and scraps.

Dr Poiarkov added: “Dogs are surprisingly good psychologists.”

The Moscow mutts are not the first animals to use public transport. In 2006 a Jack Russell in Dunnington, North Yorks, began taking the bus to his local pub in search of sausages.

And two years ago passengers in Wolverhampton were stunned when a cat called Macavity started catching the 331 bus to a fish and chip shop.

This is our steer named Brisket. Getty names the cows. Each year, we get a calf to raise for locker beef. In addition, we train the Border Collies on them. Usually we try to get two but this year, we got one. I will get a buddy for him in a month or so.

Brisket is a Red Angus steer and over a year old. He has a good nature and will come running when you call his name.

He has the biggest brown eyes and a soft coat. I am jealous of his long eyelashes.

Why does he come running. It might have to do with food. He loves to eat. He gets grain, bread and alfalfa. He certainly hasn't missed a meal. Food is his friend. Food is my friend too!!

Monday, April 27, 2009

We had some sun this weekend. So instead of packing everyone up to go to the beach, we had our own beach party here. Getty and I had some home made beer made by Chuck and enjoyed the nice weather. The animals got to sleep in the sun and work on their tans.

First, you must make a nice hole in the sand to wallow in. See how nice and tan she is. She was a white chicken before (just kidding)

Rigby had to get into the action. He had to roll one way and then another way.

Tess had to roll on her back to make her her white belly got some sun action. Her tongue is hanging out. Was it because she drank too much?

OK, she is passed out. Does that remind you of your college drinking days? Tess really enjoyed the sun and took a nap. She snores, too!!

The ducks had to bask in the sun too. One had to hang out on the log. If I took a nap on a log, I would fall off but he didn't!!

Jennie-O the turkey hen had to spread her wing and work on her tan too. She is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Far from it. Fabio is far smarter!!

Mr Magoo and his two hens hung out near the wine barrels. These ducks are the fifth generation born on the far. Mr Magoo has taught the puppies to mind their manners. Now, as adult dogs, they are wary of him still. He taught them well.

My Guinea male and a Rhode Island red hen. The Guinea was kind enough to groom her and she enjoyed it. I guess it was a little spa action in the sun.

Red, the rooster, and his clan. As you can tell, I like red colored chickens. Everyone took a nap.

It was a nice day for all to bask in the sun. But the weekend has ended and it was back to work for everyone. Maybe that was our summer? All two days of it!!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Today would have been Shiro's 16th Birthday. She passed away last year and we still miss her.

As a cute, fat, fuzzball of a puppy. Little did we know how much our lives would be changed by her. All for the better.

I did some sheepdog trialing with her. She especially enjoyed working pigs. She worked up close but had no issues in moving stock. A ram made the mistake once of ramming her into the ground. She got herself up, dusted herself off, walked to the ram, grabbed him by the nose, held his nose to the ground for a bit and growled. She let go and I think tears came to his eyes and he showed the proper respect for her. After that, he was always in the middle of the flock.

No sheep challenged her. She had the Clint Eastwood theme of "Make my day"

But her calling was a frisbee dog, Getty and Shiro did lots of shows and she competed statewide.

She was Getty's dog. I got her and a few weeks later, she was his dog. I had no say in the matter. She loved him and he loved her. They were inseperable. I swear this photo is like a "See the Family resemblence photo"

She still lives here...in our hearts and will always be a big part of our lives.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

I was rummaging around on my computer and dug up these old pictures. Libbi is Lucy's grandmother. She was one of my first dogs. She taught me a lot. She tried to be perfect and gave it her all. She was very kind to the sheep and they trusted her.

She was an awesome mother. She would adopt puppies, kittens and little orphan lambs. If I was sick, she would snuggle next to me and kiss me and tend to me as if I was a puppy.

Libbi had a single pup that was named Clue. At the same time, I has a ewe reject her lambs. I brought them into the house and they began to scream. Libbi ran to the box and licked their faces and climbed in. They quit crying. I moved them to the whelping box.

Clue, the puppy and the the two orphan lambs all grew up together. We would bottle feed them and Libbi would take care of the rest. They were clean and loved. The other house Border Collies ignored them.

When Clue was able to wander about, I would take all of them outside. Clue and the lambs would romp on the lawn while Libbi stood guard. Then they would all throw themselves into a pile and sleep.

Over the years, Libbi would adopt any orphan lamb. It didn't matter if she had pups or not. She would take them under her paw and raise them.

The lambs grew up and went to pet homes. They had a mom that took them in and loved them. Who cares their mom was a different color, let alone a different animal?

Love is a funny thing....it closes it eyes to prejudice and opens it's eyes for purity.

I am almost done with my heart journey. I’ve had follow up visit with my Cardiologist. The good news is the new wall is signed, sealed and delivered. That is wonderful and makes me very happy.

Now the bad news. My atria flutter is back. I had the cardio version done a few months ago and we hope that would fix it. But it didn’t and it is back.

My symptoms are I get very fatigued and my chest hurts and by the time I get home from work, I take a 2 hour nap. That is how exhausted I am. My work is not physical labor so it not wearing me out. It’s the circuits not working properly in my heart.

So I am going in for another heart procedure on May 4th. They will do a Cardic Ablation. They will go up the two veins or arteries on each side of my legs with catheters. They will also go down my jugular vein. They will study the circuits and figure out where/what to ablate. Then they will destroy the problem circuits. Hopefully that should fix it. They may have to put a pacemaker in but they won’t know until they are done. Either way, it will be done and this procedure has a 90-98% success rate.

Again, I will off work but I won’t be able to lift, toss anything about for a few days. I will have a scar on mu neck, and two legs to match the huge scar on my chest. But, hey, I will be alive. This should be the last of the “Heart Series Specials”

On a side note, I am up to 132 lbs and that is exactly where I want to be at and all other health items are great. My color is back and I am sleeping well. I have energy until late afternoon and enjoying the dogs. I feel great.

However one main/big issue has arisen since all of this heart operations has happened…I have lost how to blow my come-bye whistle. I know it was bad when Tess stopped and looked back at me and then sat down waiting for me to tell her what to do. She never sits down. She sat down and waited I told her verbally. Usually she can guess what I want but apparently my come-bye whistle was so bad, she couldn’t figure that out.

Teddy is a robust red and white male Border Collie. He is owned by Chuck. Chuck has been very faithful about coming out her at least twice a week to work his dogs. He has progressed quite a bit since he has been coming out here.

A couple of days ago, we worked on Teddy getting sheep out of corners. It was tough for him because as soon as he hit the pressure point he would not go in but flank back out.

We spent the lesson on working with Teddy to go into the corner and lifting the sheep out, Then we made him lie down in the corner and push them out, straight on to us.

After a bit, he was confident and did quite well. We were pleased with his progress so quit.

In the wake of the deaths of 21 prized polo horses, the United States Polo Assn. says it will announce today plans to provide additional protections for its animals.The announcement is expected following today's USPA Board of Governor's meeting in Wellington. A spokeswoman for the organization did not provide any specifics of what is being considered, but there has been much discussion about the treatment of polo horses following the incident.

Quoting anonymous sources, La Nacion newspaper of Argentina reported Friday that the 21 Lechuza Caracas team horses scheduled to play in Sunday's polo match were injected with a lethal dose -- 10 times the intended amount -- of selenium, a trace mineral that is poisonous to horses in high doses. The newspaper reported that 0.5 mg/ml was prescribed but the compound actually contained 5 mg/ml.Selenium is essential to health but required only in small amounts, according to the National Institutes of Health. It is found in soil, seafood and some meats.

Franck's Pharmacy in Ocala has acknowledged "that a strength of an ingredient in the medication was incorrect" but would not provide additional information.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine and the Federal Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine declined to comment Friday, citing the pending investigation.Officials investigating the deaths said Thursday that they believed they had identified the chemical that caused the deaths but declined Friday to identify it.It's unclear at this point how the error occurred. The identity of the prescribing veterinarian has not been confirmed and the prescription has not been made public.

In a written statement Thursday, the Lechuza team said a Florida-licensed veterinarian wrote a prescription for a compounded substitute vitamin supplement containing vitamin B, potassium, magnesium and selenium: "Only the horses treated with the compound became sick and died within 3 hours of treatment. The horses that were not treated remain healthy and normal."The pharmacy's statement said that "on an order from a veterinarian, Franck's Pharmacy prepared medication that was used to treat the 21 horses."The injectable compound was a substitute for Biodyl, the team said, a vitamin-mineral mix that isn't approved for use in the United States.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

NUTRO Products Inc. denies it's under investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — even though an official of that agency told ConsumerAffairs.com on Monday that the pet food maker is the focus of a probe.

An FDA official who spoke on the condition of anonymity confirmed that ongoing investigation is the reason the FDA’s Division of Freedom of Information denied a ConsumerAffairs.com request for a list of complaints and lab results the agency has collected about NUTRO pet food. The FDA did not elaborate on the focus of its investigation, saying only that it could be criminal or civil in nature.

Hundreds of pet owners nationwide have told ConsumerAffairs.com their dogs and cats have experienced sudden and recurring bouts of vomiting, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems after eating various flavors of NUTRO. In many cases, the animals recovered after their owners switched them to another brand of pet food. Others died.

NUTRO has repeatedly defended its products, saying they are 100 percent safe, and also denies that it is being investigated.

“We've been in contact with officials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding your April 20th posting that claims there is an ongoing FDA investigation into NUTRO pet food,” spokeswoman Monica Barrett wrote in an e-mail Tuesday night. “This is not true. We have confirmed with officials of the FDA division responsible for regulating pet food, the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), that there is no current or ongoing investigation of Nutro Products, Inc.”

The FDA had not previously commented on complaints regarding NUTRO pet food. News of its investigation came to light only after the agency denied a request filed by ConsumerAffairs.com under the Freedom of Information Act for a list of all complaints and lab results the FDA has collected since 2007 about NUTRO.

The FDA said the release of those records could interfere with law enforcement proceedings.

“The document (s) constitute record (s) complied for law enforcement purposes, the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to interfere with law enforcement proceedings,” the FDA’s George A. Strait Jr. wrote in a letter denying the FOIA request.

In a follow-up telephone call, an agency official confirmed that the request was denied because of an ongoing investigation. The official requested anonymity because he or she was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation.

NUTRO defends its products and insists its food is safe. Many NUTRO customers also tout the food, saying their pets have had no problems. And veterinarians say several factors can cause gastrointestinal problems in dogs and cats, including changes in diet, newly developed sensitivities to pet foods, and viral infections.

An official at a Florida pharmacy said Thursday the business incorrectly prepared a supplement given to 21 polo horses that died over the weekend while preparing to play in a championship match.

Jennifer Beckett of Franck's Pharmacy in Ocala, Fla., told The Associated Press in a statement that the business conducted an internal investigation that found "the strength of an ingredient in the medication was incorrect." The statement did not say what the ingredient was.

Beckett, who's the pharmacy's chief operating officer, said the pharmacy is cooperating with an investigation by state authorities and the Food and Drug Administration.

The horses from the Venezuelan-owned Lechuza polo team began crumpling to the ground shortly before Sunday's U.S. Open match was supposed to begin, shocking a crowd of well-heeled spectators at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington.

"On an order from a veterinarian, Franck's Pharmacy prepared medication that was used to treat the 21 horses on the Lechuza Polo team," Beckett said. "As soon as we learned of the tragic incident, we conducted an internal investigation."

She said the report has been given to state authorities.

Lechuza also issued a statement to AP acknowledging that a Florida veterinarian wrote the prescription for the pharmacy to create a compound similar to Biodyl, a French-made supplement that includes vitamins and minerals and is not approved for use in the United States.

"Only horses treated with the compound became sick and died within 3 hours of treatment," Lechuza said in the statement. "Other horses that were not treated remain healthy and normal."

Lechuza also said it was cooperating with authorities that include the State Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

Biodyl contains a combination of vitamin B12, a form of selenium called sodium selenite and other minerals. It is made in France by Duluth, Ga.-based animal pharmaceutical firm Merial Ltd. and can be given to horses to help with exhaustion. It is widely used abroad, but not approved in the U.S.

Compound pharmacies can, among other things, add flavor, make substances into a powder or liquid or remove a certain compound that may have an adverse reaction in different animal species. Only in limited circumstances can they legally recreate a drug that is not approved in the U.S., according to the FDA.

Necropsies of the 21 horses found internal bleeding, some in the lungs, but offered no definitive clues to the cause of death.

FDA spokeswoman Siobhan DeLancey said compounding pharmacies cannot legally recreate existing drugs or supplements under patent. In most cases, they are also not allowed to recreate a medication that is not approved for use in the U.S.

On its Web site, the FDA says it generally defers to "state authorities regarding the day-to-day regulation of compounding by veterinarians and pharmacists."

However, the agency says it would "seriously consider enforcement action" if a pharmacy breaks federal law in compounding medications. It isn't yet clear Franck's broke the law.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Sava is my upcoming youngster. She just turned two year old. She is a slick coated black and white bitch. I got her when I was in the UK in July/August of 2007. Scott set up the connection for me to get her and her sister (Coll...now known as Nell) when I went over to the UK for work and then a bit of vacation.

While I was there I spent time with Angie and Kelvin. They picked up the sisters for me, got crates and did the paperwork. I just had to fly home with them. In case you want a GREAT AGENT to do all of that stuff or get you a fine dog, I suggest, no I recommend using them. They are very knowledgeable and make it painless.

Sava was a terror to start but finally settle down. She went to Scott over the winter and he got a great foundation on her. She is home for the summer for *summer camp* and she will get lots of miles on her.

I have 24 ewes and 33 lambs so far. I normally use Tess to put them away at night in the lambing corral. But one day I decided to use Sava. I went into the back lawn pasture and sent her. She ran out and stopped and looked back at me. Her eyes were huge as if to say "Holy Gee, what that the heck are those mini senseless things. And whoa, there are way more sheep that I am used to!!"

I gave her a shhh and she bent out and then stopped her at the top and let her down for a few seconds and absorb all of this in. Then a slow walk up and she began to gather the ewes. When she let a lamb behind, I would down her and tell her to look back and resent her and finally the lightbulb clicked on.

The lambs will not move too well off the dog at this point so she had to get close and her presence spooked the lambs to their moms. A couple stood there and she marched into them and they moved. She gathered the flock and brought all of them to me and then I downed her and petted her and praised her.

She looked up and me, her chest all puffed with pride and eyes glowing. It was a big job for a little dog but she stood up to the plate and did it well.

We then walked to the far end of the pasture and I sent her to get the flock again to see what she had learned. She cut back right and left and brought them to me. She was learning to tuck the lambs in and hold the line. It's tough when you have over 50 sheep.

Then we did a bit of driving and she held the line. She is very stylish like her sire. She is a very serious worker and wants to do it right.

After we did a few more gathers and short driving then I opened the pen gate and sent her. The sheep are used to the routine and all ran into the pen. I had Sava push the stragglers in and we were done for the night. I'll take pictures this weekend of her working the flock but for now, you'll see the pictures when she was at Scott and Jenn's place.

We walked back to the barn, Sava dancing at my feet, pleased with herself, knowing that she had done the job that one of the "Big Guns" normally does.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that the agency is investigating NUTRO pet food, following a series of unexplained illnesses and deaths. Consumers have been complaining for more than two years that their pets have become ill after eating NUTRO products; many have recovered when they were switched to other foods. The company has steadfastly denied that its food is to blame.

Until now, the FDA has been mum about whether it was actively investigating the company. Today, the FDA’s Division of Freedom of Information confirmed the agency has an ongoing investigation into NUTRO — and said that investigation could be criminal or civil in nature. The office did not elaborate on the nature or focus of that investigation.

The investigation came to light when the FDA denied a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by ConsumerAffairs.com seeking a list of complaints and lab results the agency has collected regarding NUTRO pet food. The agency denied the request and said that releasing the information could hamper “prospective or ongoing” action by law enforcement.

“The document(s) constitute record(s) compiled for law enforcement purposes, the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings,” wrote the FDA’s George A. Strait, Jr., assistant commissioner for public affairs.

Another pet food company, Menu Foods, said in a recent financial filing that the FDA had commenced a criminal investigation to determine whether Menu violated the Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act. The company noted that “additional actions or investigations may arise in the future.” It did not mention any other pet food companies. Menu last year settled a $24 million lawsuit that grew from the largest pet food recall in U.S. history.

NUTRO, which has extensive international operations, was acquired in 2007 by Mars, Inc., the privately-held Virginia-based food products company. Mars was fined a record €4.5 million (about US$5.8 million) last year by the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) for not observing the required waiting period before closing the transaction. Mars had been by far the leading provider of cat and dog food in Germany prior to the merger.

Under pressure from the German regulators, Mars divested NUTRO's Austrian and German businesses.

Worrisome trend

ConsumerAffairs.com filed its Freedom of Information request for NUTRO records last year after we uncovered a worrisome trend among dogs and cats across the country. An analysis of our complaints revealed that scores of pets from California to South Carolina had experienced sudden and recurring bouts of diarrhea, vomiting, and other digestive problems.

The only common denominator among those dogs and cats was NUTRO pet food. In nearly every case, we also learned the pets’ conditions improved once their owners stopped feeding them NUTRO pet food.

ConsumerAffairs.com continues to receive complaints about NUTRO from dog and cat owners nationwide. In the past year, we’ve received nearly 500 complaints from pet owners who say their dogs or cats suddenly became ill after eat NUTRO. The problems these pets have experienced are similar: vomiting, diarrhea, and other digestive issues.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Well, I haven’t gotten the tending pictures done yet. I think I told you that Tess and Nan were my tending dogs. I also had a third tender and that was Rigby the cat. It made for some very amusing tending. Perhaps tomorrow I can do that blog.

So what does that mean for today’s blog. We did some evening herding and Anson is the subject tonight. I bet you thought all of my blogs were about Tess or Nan? Close but no cigar.

However Anson is a son of Tess. Delmar Scott is Anson’s sire. Scott’s sire is Imp Jim who is by Bobby Dalziel Wisp. Scott worked the 2nd largest cattle ranch in Canada for many years before I got him. He came here and was my cow and sheep dog and won first places and is a good natured dog. I loved him when I saw him as a three year old and had to wait for 3.5 years before I was able to buy him. Tess is my Open dog and she has done well. She placed 6th in the 2001 USBCHA Sheepdog Nursery Finals and was the third dog to ever get the ABCA papers on Merit. It is called ROM – Registered on Merit. It’s not easy but by God, she earned it and her pups and grandpups have own Open sheep and Cowdogs trials so the program does work and she is on heck of a dog. Scott, not a shrinking violet himself, won Reserve Champion at 9 Mile, one of the premier Cowdog trials. Scott can move anything and is kind to the stock.

Anson is a good blend of the two. He is biddable like Tess but is coming into his power. He need to mature some more but each time we work him, you see a stronger dog emerge. He loves to please you but is fearless on stock. As a pup, he was one of the first to crawl out of the box and wander about. He was quite ugly with a huge white head but now that he has grown up, he has turned into a stunning male with one blue and one brown eye. He is very good natured and a *jolly good fellow*!!

Chuck came over and helped me with chores. I had to worm the ram and couldn’t hold him and worm him at the same time. I had overdid it on Saturday and pulled a muscle or did something to my chest where they wired it up. I also had a ewe that had a teat that was chewed on and it needed to be milked out and an antibiotic given to her. I tried to do that to her yesterday and after she dragged me around and flung me to the wall, the chest really started to hurt more. So, I called Chuck to see if he could come and help and he came to help me after work. He was a great help in snagging the two rodeo sheep and help them for me.

So after the chores, we did a little herding. Teddy, Clip and Anson got the honors. I’ll post later this week on Teddy and Clip’s herding. We worked on Teddy going into the pressure and by the end of the lesson, he was waltzing into the pressure like a pro.

Click on the pixsa for a larger view.

Tess waiting her turn at the gate. We used her during Clip's lesson to stop the runaways.

See the one blue and one brown eye. Anson trotting up to see what was happening. (click on this to see the detail)

Anson waiting at the gate. Just like his mama!!

Reflecting on something. I am not sure whatit was but it must have been important.

OK, Anson in the pasture. See the one paw on the ground. I love this pix!!

A nice steady walk up. His ears are tipped forward and he is listening to Chuck.

Coming around the bend ......going full out and look at the stretch he has.

Another one paw on the ground shots.

A nice strong walkup. Anson has matured so he is stronger now on stock.

This ewe tried to make a break for it. WRONG, as Anson did a nice wide flank and tucked her back into the flock. She is not happy about this and look at her ears. They show she is displeased.

Everyone lean now.....he is working yearling ewes that have not been worked much by dogs. They are VERY LIGHT!!

Nice and square the the top. He can really rate his stock well.

The last walk up before we quit for the night. I love how his ears are forward.

Anso is a very sweet and loving dog. He is a lot like Tess in the house. If you had read the prior blog, you will remember that Tess is a couch dog. So is Anson. He will cuddle up to you and be your best friend. He loves to be your lapdog. Apparently he did inherit the couch dog genes from Tess.